On a weekend otherwise devoid of high-profile mixed martial arts (MMA) action, touted Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion and MMA prospect Mackenzie Dern provided a highlight reel finish to bide the time. After missing weight at strawweight twice in her MMA career, Dern took on veteran Mandy Polk in her 125-debut at tonight’s Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) […]
On a weekend otherwise devoid of high-profile mixed martial arts (MMA) action, touted Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion and MMA prospect Mackenzie Dern provided a highlight reel finish to bide the time.
After missing weight at strawweight twice in her MMA career, Dern took on veteran Mandy Polk in her 125-debut at tonight’s Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) 24 from the Comerica Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona.
And although she’s mostly known for her grappling skills, Dern showed she has some serious striking power to boot when she dropped Polk with a huge combo starting with an overhand right followed by two left hooks and ending with another huge right that dropped her.
From there it was all elementary, as Dern took a dazed Polk’s back to lock up a super-tight rear-naked choke for the first-round submission victory, securing an explosive flyweight debut to keep her undefeated at 4-0. Check out her latest win right here:
Mackenzie Dern is still figuring out her natural weight in her young mixed martial arts career. In the past, Dern has struggled making the strawweight limit. In fact, her last bout was changed to a catchweight after Dern realized she couldn’t make it to 115 pounds. Dern made the flyweight limit for her bout tonight […]
Mackenzie Dern is still figuring out her natural weight in her young mixed martial arts career. In the past, Dern has struggled making the strawweight limit. In fact, her last bout was changed to a catchweight after Dern realized she couldn’t make it to 115 pounds. Dern made the flyweight limit for her bout tonight […]
It’s been almost six months since Ronda Rousey suffered her second crushing defeat in the UFC, and by all accounts we may have seen her fight for the last time in the Octagon. Now the hunt is on to find the next female superstar in the sport, and in this article we’ll be looking at […]
It’s been almost six months since Ronda Rousey suffered her second crushing defeat in the UFC, and by all accounts we may have seen her fight for the last time in the Octagon.
Now the hunt is on to find the next female superstar in the sport, and in this article we’ll be looking at 10 women who are best placed to fill the void left by Rousey, from existing stars with the potential to take their fame to the next level, to up-and-coming prospects who have shown promising signs they could be the next big thing in WMMA.
To be clear, what we’re looking for here are not just talented fighters, but rather those who, like Rousey or indeed Gina Carano before her, also have that elusive ‘it factor’ that could enable them to gain mainstream recognition and become a major draw on pay-per-view.
Before we begin though, here’s a few honorable mentions to these talented ladies who just missed out on making the list but are worthy of recognition: Michelle Waterson, Ilima Macfarlane, Alexa Grasso, Julianna Pena, Holly Holm, Megan Anderson and Kayla Harrison.
10. Anastasia Yankova
In some circles, Anastasia Yankova is already being touted as the ‘Russian Ronda Rousey’.
The 26 year-old has gained considerable attention for her stunning looks and has over 180,000 followers on Instagram, but she has been training in martial arts since she was six and is a former Russian Muay Thai champion.
Her star potential was quickly recognized when she transitioned to MMA and with just two wins under her belt, Bellator jumped at the chance to sign Yankova in 2016.
She’s since improved to 5-0 and demonstrated that she’s more than just a striker by claiming three victories by way of submission.
There’s no doubt Yankova is a marketer’s dream and she’s already struck up sponsorship deals with the likes of Nike and Reebok, been featured in the Russian edition of Vogue, and speaks English fluently enough to have been interviewed by TMZ.
The caveat here is that though she remains unbeaten her performances in the cage so far suggest she’s still a work in progress, and so doubts remains as to how she’ll cope when the level of competition increases, with another rising Bellator star, Ilima Macfarlane being among those eager to derail her hype train.
Highly touted MMA prospect Mackenzie Dern is known for her championship-level submission skills, but she apparently met her match in three-time world champion Bia Mesquita. Last night, Dern met Mesquita in the finals of the absolute class of the IBJJF’s Rio Falls grappling event from the Tijuca Tenis Club gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and suffered
Highly touted MMA prospect Mackenzie Dern is known for her championship-level submission skills, but she apparently met her match in three-time world champion Bia Mesquita.
Last night, Dern met Mesquita in the finals of the absolute class of the IBJJF’s Rio Falls grappling event from the Tijuca Tenis Club gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and suffered her first submission defeat in a long period of time.
Dern lost to a choke from Mesquita, who also went on to win the gold medal in her individual division, in surprisingly fast time. Watch the video courtesy of MMA Fighting here:
Jiu-jitsu champion Mackenzie Dern may only have compiled a modest 3-0 MMA record, but she’s already on the UFC’s radar. Dern, 23, currently fights for Legacy Fighting Alliance, which has been known to be a feeder league for the world’s largest MMA promotion. UFC President Dana White discussed the submission specialist with TMZ recently, and
Jiu-jitsu champion Mackenzie Dern may only have compiled a modest 3-0 MMA record, but she’s already on the UFC’s radar.
Dern, 23, currently fights for Legacy Fighting Alliance, which has been known to be a feeder league for the world’s largest MMA promotion.
UFC President Dana White discussed the submission specialist with TMZ recently, and appears to be keeping an eye on the budding female mixed martial artist.
“You never know how good somebody’s going to be until they get in there and start fighting the best in the world,” White elaborated.
“Obviously, she has a lot of potential, but will she be another Ronda [Rousey]? I don’t know.”
While Dern remains an untested prospect at 115 pounds, the up-and-coming strawweight has certainly caught the attention of the UFC.
The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace most recently defeated Katherine Roy by decision on March 10, just one fight removed from an incredible first round rear-naked choke victory over Montana Stewart in October of 2016.
Dern is the number one ranked female BJJ black belt according to the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, and holds a victory in jiu-jitsu competition over Gabrielle Garcia, a massive female MMA fighter who weighs in at 209 pounds and currently fights for RIZIN in Japan. Despite only three MMA fights, her undefeated record and BJJ pedigree were enough to capture the president of the UFC’s attention.
With the UFC’s relatively new strawweight division, White and company are clearly scouting talent to beef up the 115-pound women’s weight class. Could Dern prove to be the Ronda Rousey of the strawweight division?
If what Dana White says about Dern is true, we could find that out sooner than later.
Mackenzie Dern can rest assured that her fledgeling career has not gone unnoticed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White. Dern is seen among the ones to watch in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) following her professional debut last July. Boasting a record of 3-0 in the pro ranks, Dern’s momentum will have been boosted […]
Mackenzie Dern can rest assured that her fledgeling career has not gone unnoticed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White. Dern is seen among the ones to watch in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) following her professional debut last July. Boasting a record of 3-0 in the pro ranks, Dern’s momentum will have been boosted […]